Berks County man sentenced to state prison for drug offense in Pottstown

By
Carl Hessler Jr., The Mercury

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

NORRISTOWN ó A Reading man who was apprehended in Pottstown with a stash of cocaine in his car is now headed to state prison.

John Marshall Luster, 41, of the 300 block of Windsor Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 3-to-6 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver cocaine in connection with a May 2006 incident in Pottstown. President Judge William J. Furber Jr., who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, also ordered Luster to complete five yearsí probation after heís paroled from prison.

An investigation began about 7 p.m. May 1, 2006, when a female motorist approached Pottstown police near Beech and Manatawny streets to report that a man in a car traveling behind her had been following her since the area of Birdsboro, according to court papers. The woman told police she was concerned for her safety and that she had been on her way to the police station to report what she believed was the suspicious activity when she came upon the officer in a marked police car.

Police subsequently tracked the suspicious vehicle to a parking lot south of Second Street and encountered Luster getting out of the vehicle. Luster, who parked on private property, told police he was lost and trying to find a local bar, according to the arrest affidavit.

When police asked for Lusterís name he provided police with a false name of John Smith and a false birth date, according to the arrest affidavit. Luster was taken to borough hall to confirm his identity and it was revealed that Lusterís driving privileges had been suspended, according to the criminal complaint.

Luster was found possessing $2,015 in cash, court papers indicate.

Police secured Lusterís vehicle and a search uncovered a brown paper bag containing a silver digital scale with white powder residue on it, according to the criminal complaint. Authorities also found in the glove compartment a brown paper bag that contained six clear sandwich bags that contained suspected cocaine weighing about 1.5 ounces, according to the arrest affidavit.

A large bag containing a solid white powdery substance, and a box of rubber gloves, also were found in the trunk, police alleged.

Other charges of harassment, false identification to law enforcement authorities and operating a motor vehicle without a license were dismissed against Luster as part of the plea agreement.